Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 Pro Lens

Olympus is proving their dedication and desire to win over the portrait and wedding market with the introduction of the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. This lens packs a mighty punch with great image quality, superior color rendering and consistently good results. It also comes with a $1000 price tag. Will the cost scare you away? If you are a professional shooter, no way! Even as an enthusiast, this lens is a great choice.

The Olympus M.Zuiko f2.8 12-40mm PRO lens is one hefty lens. It weighs 13.5oz (382g) and has a solid build quality. The 12-40mm focal length is equivalent to 24-80mm in 35mm standards (a popular focal length for wedding and portrait photographers). Although it is one of the more expensive lenses in the M.Zuiko lineup, the $1000 price tag dwarfs in comparison to the $1900-$2300 cost of several competing camera brands’ portrait zoom lenses.

I spent several days of consecutive shooting in New Orleans with this lens and I love it. This came as a bit of a surprise to me as I am more drawn to shoot with prime lenses than zoom lenses. But the 12-40mm pro lens offers repeatedly positive results in a variety of situations. Even in super low light conditions this lens, paired with the Olympus OM-D E-M10, delivered images I was proud to share.

Although I originally balked at the $1000 price tag, it dawned on me that a similar camera/lens combo from Nikon or Canon would be significantly more expensive. For example, if you purchased the Nikon D7100 for $1100 and then purchased the 24-70mm f2.8 lens for $1900, you are already at a total of $3000. Choose the Canon 70D for $1150 and the 24-70mm f2.8 for $2300 and you are now up to $3550. Now, if you decide to purchase the Olympus OM-D E-M1 for $1400 and the 12-40mm f2.8 for $1000 you are spending $2400. That’s a $600 savings. Or, if you decide to go with the OM-D E-M10 instead, you are only spending $700 for the camera and $1000 for the lens. Now that’s a pretty good deal at $1700.

Take a look at the sample images and see for yourself. All of these images were taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M10 paired with the 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens. As always, sample images are straight out of camera with no editing.